Christmas Lights
by Miss Mysty
Summary: Sequel-type one-shot for Morning Sun.  Yukina's parents visit from Hokkaido, and between family and family-in-law, Kisa realizes why people always go insane the most around the holidays.


**This was written as a special for a project my friend and I have been working on for a while, which should be out in a few days if she stops pulling her Chiaki act :P Until then, enjoy this.**

Christmas Lights

The closer it got to Christmas, the busier the Emerald offices got. They pulled all-nighters and their worst death threats so they could get the magazine together before Marukawa closed on Christmas Eve.

On that final day, when they were waiting for Hatori to show up with Yoshikawa Chiharu's manuscript, Kisa vaguely noted that Yukina kept getting calls. He let them go to voicemail as he continued to work, but between listening to Takano-san slowly dip into the negatives with his patience and just being face-down on his desk, Kisa couldn't help but wonder who felt they needed to get into contact with his boyfriend so badly that they called constantly.

Just as Hatori showed up and Takano-san and Ritsu ran for it so they could get to the printers, Yukina's cell phone went off again. They'd all been dismissed with a "Merry Christmas," thrown over their boss's shoulder, though, and so there was no longer a moratorium on outside contact. Yukina took the call as he left his desk, and Kisa managed to drag himself after him so he could see what was going on.

"I know, Mama," Yukina was saying when Kisa caught up with him at the floor lounge. "I know you came to Tokyo to see me as much as Ken, but I really don't think you and Papa would be comfortable in my apartment. I'm moving soon and…"

It was true, Kisa thought as Yukina continued making excuses to his mother. Yukina's apartment contract ran out in January and he was already practically living with Kisa, anyway. In fact, they'd be heading home together once Yukina was ready to go.

"I know Ken just got married so it'd be… awkward." Yukina suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking apologetic. "Kisa-san is right here so I could ask…"

"Your parents need a place to stay." It wasn't a question because Kisa knew, and if he didn't say anything, Yukina would spend five minutes working around it because he didn't want to inconvenience Kisa. "When do they get here?"

"Apparently they've been at the station for the past five hours," Yukina said sheepishly. "Mama's the one who's been trying to call me. She can't get a hold of my brother, either."

Kisa had not met Yukina's elusive older brother. The guy had eloped earlier that month, only alerting his family after the fact, and Kisa wasn't surprised he was MIA. Kisa honestly had no idea why, but he just nodded and told Yukina together his things so his parents wouldn't be waiting too much longer.

"They can sleep in our bed if they want, but no amount of sheet changes is going to make that not awkward," Kisa said as they entered the station. He scanned the crowd to see if he could recognize Yukina's mother and father.

"We show our love for each other in that bed, Kisa-san. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Yukina said with one of his sparkling smiles.

"I said awkward, not ashamed." Kisa's eyes were still scanning the crowd. "Do you really want your parents sleeping in the same bed we had a sixty-nine in two nights ago?"

Yukina wouldn't meet Kisa's eye at that, but he did say, "My parents don't need to know the specifics, I suppose." Then he picked up the pace. It seemed he had finally spotted his parents. "Mama! Papa!"

"Oh thank God," the man Kisa assumed was Yukina's father said. "If I had to spend one more minute at this station I was going to scream."

"Oh don't be such a drama queen," Yukina's mother admonished.

"I'm sorry," Yukina said with an apologetic smile. "But I was at work all day. Kisa-san and I just got out, in fact."

"So where is the girl, anyway?" Yukina's father asked, making Yukina jump a bit and Kisa's eye gain a noticeable twitch.

Yukina cleared his throat, put a hand on Kisa's shoulder, and said, "Mama, Papa, this is Kisa-san." He moved his hand so his arm was wrapped around Kisa's shoulders and added, "I'll be moving in with his next month, and he agreed to let you stay with him while you're here."

There wasn't really an awkward silence, because there was so much noise around them that there couldn't be. But none of them said anything, and Kisa felt nervous under the two hard stares that were now on him. He was suddenly aware of his shaggy hair, the slight bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep, and even the mud caked on his shoes from the rather messy start winter had taken.

"It's good to meet you both," Kisa said, suddenly remembering his manners and bowing deeply. He'd never "met the parents" before, but he knew how to charm people: put on a smile, activate the sparkly aura, and give them no reason to pick you apart. "My name is Kisa Shouta."

Before either parent could say anything, all three Yukinas' stomachs growled. Kisa lost his professional mask and started laughing as Yukina said, "Come on, Kisa-san and I can make something for dinner."

xxx

Kisa hadn't gone grocery shopping in a while, so he didn't exactly have enough to feed four people. Yukina ended up going out with his father to pick some things up, which left Kisa alone with his mother. He instantly felt nervous, and as Yukina's mother sat down on the couch, he started going around and cleaning up trash he and Yukina had been too busy to pick up themselves in the last few weeks.

"My place is kind of small, but there is more room," he said as he tossed an instant noodle cup in the trash. "We can either set you up out here or you could take the bed."

"_The_ bed?" Yukina's mother asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's only one, sorry," Kisa said with a smile. "I've only ever had Yukina and my niece stay the night before, and they're both more than happy to share with me." He suddenly realized what he said, and his face went beat-red. "Uh, I mean…"

"Ah, you have an older sibling?"

"Younger." Kisa vaguely noted she had picked up one of Yukina's sketch books, but didn't think much of it. "Shiori's twenty-four right now."

"Which would make you…"

"Thirty-two." When Kisa looked back, he realized Yukina's mother was looking at the first sketchbook Yukina had ever drawn Kisa in. Specifically, she was staring at the picture of him with his hair tied back and a thin trail of saliva connecting his tongue to an ice pop. Kisa's face went red again, and he had to stop himself from snatching the book right out of her hands. He knew he should've burned that thing at the first chance he got.

"How old did you say you are?"

"Thirty-two?" Kisa didn't have any trash left, so he started organizing the photocopies of storyboards from the past month that he'd made for his own records. Yukina's mother was looking at him in a disbelieving way so he added, "I don't exactly look it, huh?"

"I have my doubts you're _twenty_-two," Yukina's mother said, flipping a few pages. "Is there a reason Kou has done so many drawings of you?"

Kisa looked back again to find she was staring at a drawing Kisa hadn't seen before. In it, Kisa was completely naked, though it was only a waist-up picture. He was sprawled on the bed, sucking on a few fingers of his right hand with his eyes drooped in a seductive manner. It was between his boyfriend's mother seeing more pictures like that and seeming rude, and Kisa chose the latter.

"Well," he said as he took the sketchbook and snapped it shut. "His excuse is drawing what he loves."

"And he loves you."

"So he says." Kisa let out a little huff and went into the kitchen, Yukina's sketchbook still in his arms. "And he says it a lot."

The door suddenly swung open, and Kisa turned in time to see his sister toss her shoes off in the genkan and set her daughter loose.

"Shouta, candy!" Shizuko yelled. "Momma says you have candy!"

"She's gotten a lot more articulate lately," Kisa said to no one in particular. He did have candy, though; he'd gotten candied chestnuts the other day that he hadn't even dug into himself. He gave Shizuko two and couldn't help but smile as she ran off.

He did wince, though, when Shiori beat him over the head with her purse. "You've barely talked to me since August!" his younger sister accused. Kisa vaguely noticed that Shiori's black hair was down past her shoulders, so she must've been growing it out. "And don't tell me you've been too busy."

"Shouta likes playing with Yuki," Shizuko offered from where she was considering Yukina's mother.

"Well, when you two were done humping like rabbits, maybe you could've told me you were actually together." Shiori folded her arms over her chest, looking offended. Kisa was confused until he saw Yukina and his father had come in after her. Yukina lit up when Kisa noticed him and went over to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Daddy says Momma talks too much," Shizuko said.

Shiori twitched. "And Daddy's going to sleep on the couch tonight," she said, to cheering from Shizuko. She did not, it seemed, know what that meant yet.

"…anyway," Kisa said. "Is there any reason you're here, Shiori?"

"Oh right!" Shiori said like she just realized it. "Arata and I are going to a party tomorrow night and we'd love it if you could watch Shizuko for a few hours."

"Let me guess," Kisa said, not sounding amused. "Your regular babysitter is sick."

"No, it's Christmas Eve, silly, she has a date," Shiori said as if it were obvious. When she noticed her brother was glaring at her, she added, "Oh come on, if you had plans with Yukina it's not like he's going to say no to Shizuko joining you. They love each other."

There was a beat of silence as Kisa just stared at his sister, and when she finally realized why Kisa was staring at her like that, she slapped her hands over her mouth and blushed, not meeting his eyes. Kisa just shook his head. "Yukina's parents are here for Christmas. So we weren't planning what you're thinking."

"Oh so you're already babysitting," Shiori said with a smile, her face going back to its usual color. "Please, Shouta? We can't take Shizuko."

Kisa should've known he wouldn't be able to say no, because he didn't, and he was suddenly stuck with his niece _and_ his boyfriend's parents for Christmas Eve.

xxx

Kisa sighed as he rolled out the portable futon, glancing over at Yukina. He was just sitting there on the couch, drawing like he didn't have a care in the world. Kisa envied that kind of attitude. "You know we can't have sex, right?"

"I know, Kisa-san," Yukina said amiably. He looked up from his sketchpad and his eyes drifted to the futon. "Our relationship isn't just about sex, is it?"

Kisa ducked his head. "No," he muttered, pulling the blanket back so he could get in. Yukina put his sketchbook away and joined him, wrapping an arm around Kisa's waist and kissing him on the cheek. "You can't say you don't want to, though."

Yukina pulled Kisa's chin up and connected their lips. Kisa sighed into the kiss and laid down, pulling Yukina with him, but just when he was willing to go back on his own statement, Yukina pulled away. "I just want to be here with you, Kisa-san. Whether that means being intimate or just holding you in my arms doesn't matter."

"How can you say such sentimental crap?" Kisa averted his eyes and reached over to click off the lamp Yukina had been drawing by. Without the light, he didn't anticipate Yukina pouncing him again. They both ended up laying on the futon, legs tangled together. "Yukina!"

"I can say it because it's true." Yukina buried his face in Kisa's hair when his boyfriend turned away from him. "Although," he added, running his hand down Kisa's chest to clasp with the hand he had around his waist, "I do love the face you make when you come."

Kisa let out an undignified squeak and pushed Yukina away. "Just-just stay over there please."

"Kisa-san?"

"Yukina, don't make me take the second cold shower of my life."

The door to the bedroom opened, and Kisa tensed and pulled the covers up around his chin. Yukina's mother stopped at the sink and took a glass from the cupboard. Then she glanced into the living room in a cautious sort of way and said, "Don't mind me, just thirsty."

"We weren't doing anything, Mama," Yukina said, causing Kisa to flinch. How Yukina could be so honest about his sex life with his parents was beyond him. Yukina simply watched as his mother drank her water and went back into the bedroom.

"Yukina?"

"Yes?"

"What were you drawing just now?"

"You of course, Kisa-san."

Kisa frowned, his face burning with a blush. Just the thought of Yukina's mother seeing those pictures made him want to disappear. It was one thing to do those things for his boyfriend, it was another for his boyfriend's parents to be aware of it. "Your mother found that sketchbook."

"Did she?"

"Do you have to draw me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like… that face I'm making in that one."

"What face?"

"…I believe Shiori would call it a 'come hither' face," Kisa said, scowling into the darkness. "The one with me naked, sucking on my fingers."

"I draw what inspires me, Kisa-san."

"Inspires you to get off, you mean. You're more of a pervert than I give you credit for."

"Maybe, but why jerk off to a drawing when I have the real thing right here?" When Kisa tensed in his arms, he said, "I know, Kisa-san. No sex."

Kisa huffed and settled into Yukina's warm embrace. "Glad we're in agreement."

xxx

Christmas Eve, it turned out, was going to be awkward. Yukina's mother had managed to contact her older son and his wife, and before Kisa was aware of it, he was offering to let them come over since their apartment was, apparently, smaller than Yukina's old one.

Shizuko was the first to get to the door, followed by Yukina's father, who opened it while Shizuko yelled out, "Merry Christmas! Did I say it right?"

"You did very well." Yukina's father smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Yukina's sister-in-law was a petite woman with long, silky, black hair and had on a knee-length winter coat and pink boots. She was the picture of femininity, and when Kisa glanced in from the kitchen where he was getting plates for when Yukina and his mother arrived with dinner, he actually found himself gagging a little. "Is she Kisa-san's daughter?"

"Noooo, Shouta's my uncle!" Shizuko sounded so proud of herself as Yukina's brother, Ken, and his wife stood there, looking confused. Shizuko ran into the kitchen yelling, "Shouta, candy!"

"They'll be back soon with dinner," Kisa said, rolling the sleeves of his shirt back down to his wrists and picking Shizuko up. When he walked into the living room with her was when he noticed their new guests. He put Shizuko down so he could bow. "Ah, hello. I'm Kisa Shouta."

"Kou's…" Ken started.

"Boyfriend," his father filled in, significantly more indifferent about it than his wife had been. In fact, he looked just a little bit amused.

"Ah, and sorry about Shizuko," Kisa said with a sheepish smile as he picked his niece back up. "My younger sister and her husband had a party to go to, and apparently I'm her default babysitter now."

"Candy!" Shizuko wailed, not deterred by her uncle's earlier refusal.

"Your _younger_ sister?" the sister-in-law, Chiyoko, asked. "If your younger sister has a toddler then…"

"I'm actually probably closer to your age," Kisa admitted as he carried Shizuko over into the kitchen. He set the toddler down on the counter and relented with one candied chestnut. Chiyoko followed him while Ken stayed back with his father. "I'm thirty-two. Yukina's mother didn't believe me either, if it helps."

"That would make you Ken's age, then," Chiyoko said, narrowing her eyes a bit but not looking like she was going to argue the point. "Did you go to college here in Tokyo?"

"Yep. I went to T University of Art. I majored in illustration. I used to have a dream of drawing manga and illustrating light novels, but it didn't pan out." He ruffled Shizuko's hair and let her down so she could run out into the living room. When he followed her in, though, Ken approached, running a hand through his hair in a nervous sort of way. His features were similar to Yukina's enough so that the nervous look was strange to Kisa. "Something the matter?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Ken suddenly asked. Kisa nodded and waited, but then Ken nodded to the door. "Um, outside would probably be better."

Kisa was wary, but it wasn't the sketchiest or most dangerous-looking invitation to be alone with a man he'd ever gotten, so he just shrugged and went to put on his shoes.

"So what's the matter?" Kisa asked, leaning against the railing of the walkway in front of his apartment.

Ken gulped a few times before saying, "You just… remind me of someone I knew back in college."

"Knew."

"And by knew, I meant slept with once," Ken said, wincing. "I just, didn't want it to be awkward if you were. Since you're apparently dating my brother now."

"…you're going to have to refresh my memory," Kisa said, folding his arms.

"Um…" Ken glanced around, like he was afraid Yukina and his mother would show up out of nowhere, or that the three people still in the apartment would suddenly open the door and reveal they'd been listening the entire time. "When I was a senior, there was this guy in one of my classes. I can't remember which. He was cute and young-looking, and honestly, I'd never thought of being with a guy before. And then… we were both at the same graduation party. A big thing, with a lot of alcohol. You can probably guess what happened after that." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Kisa, for his part, didn't look impressed. "You expect me to remember something that happened over ten years ago?" he asked, eying Ken like he was insane. When Ken just looked distraught, Kisa said, "Look, I slept with a lot of guys in college. It was kind of my thing. You weren't exactly special." Kisa's eyes shifted past Ken's shoulder, and his expression turned significantly softer.

Ken turned to see his mother and younger brother approaching with takeout boxes. He tried to compose himself as well, but when Yukina's sparkly aura flared up and he said, "Kisa-san!" in that excited voice, Ken just found himself with a scowl on his face.

"Hey," Kisa said as Yukina's mother directed them all inside. Yukina leaned down and kissed him, and Kisa didn't even try to push him away. He did, however, turn away from him to gather his niece up in his arms. "It's freezing out there!"

"Shouta, too cold!" Shizuko complained, wiggling out of her uncle's arms. She followed Yukina's mother into the kitchen.

Kisa found himself enveloped in Yukina's arms, and he blushed as the hug tightened. "I missed you, Kisa-san," Yukina whispered.

"You were gone for half an hour, tops," Kisa said. He vaguely noticed Chiyoko watching them. Yukina did as well, but he didn't seem away of the look she was giving them.

"Hello. You must be Ken's wife." He extracted himself from Kisa and bowed respectfully. "I'm his younger brother, Kou."

Chiyoko bowed, but she kept her eyes on Kisa, and Kisa couldn't help but feel like she had heard the conversation he and Ken had earlier. All of this went right over Yukina's head, and he just smiled and draped his arm around Kisa's shoulders.

It was then that Kisa decided 'awkward' didn't even begin to cover how the evening was likely to turn out.

xxx

It was only after dinner, however, that things really started going downhill. Kisa and Yukina were doing the dishes together when Chiyoko entered the kitchen. Shizuko was at the table with a coloring book, and she eyed Chiyoko like she was prepared to bite her at a moment's notice.

"So how long have you two been together, anyway?" Chiyoko asked, sitting in the chair closest to the sink.

Kisa and Yukina eyed each other before Yukina answered, "Since the end of April."

"And how did you meet?"

"We work together," Kisa muttered more to the dishwater than Chiyoko.

"At a manga magazine," Yukina added, as if that was relevant. "We're both editors for Emerald Monthly."

Chiyoko looked confused. "Isn't that a shojo label?"

"The entire editing department is male." Kisa was still looking at the dishwater.

They were done with the dishes, though, and Yukina leaned down and gave Kisa a quick kiss and a smile.

"I just ask," Chiyoko said, the tone of her voice changing enough for even Yukina to notice, "because it doesn't seem like you're really a relationship person, based on what you told Ken earlier."

Kisa sounded like he was going to choke to death, but he managed to compose himself before Yukina could attempt to save him. He settled against the sideboard, vaguely noting the rather protective arm Yukina wrapped around his waist. "Well, we all have to grow up some time."

"I thought sleeping with a lot of guys was your 'thing.'" Chiyoko said it in a mocking tone. "At least in college."

"I slept with whoever I wanted up until seven months ago. I'm not ashamed." Kisa waved a hand as if waving away the point. "Is there something wrong with enjoying your sexuality?"

"There is when you can't even remember the face of someone you slept with," Chiyoko countered.

"Is this really a subject to be arguing about right now?" Yukina held Kisa even closer and had a nervous smile on his face.

The attempt at changing the subject failed, though. Kisa heard the door opening, and as shiori came in, unwinding a scarf from her neck, Chiyoko said, "He slept with your brother back in college. Did you know that?"

The room went dead silent, at least until Yukina's parents stood up and his mother said they were going for a walk. Shiori was frozen where she'd been about to pick up her daughter, a look on her face like Chiyoko had accused _her_ of sleeping with Ken. Ken himself just sat there on the couch, employing the strategy that the predators wouldn't see him if he remained absolutely still.

"Uh, I clearly came in at the wrong time," Shiori said with a nervous laugh.

"You're his sister?"

"Yes?"

"Then you know what he was like back then," Chiyoko said.

Shiori swallowed nervously several times in a row before she could bring herself to speak. "Well it's true that Shouta slept with a lot of guys since high school. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for days." She looked down at Shizuko, who was happily coloring like nothing in particular was going on. "Growing up, though, he was there for me when I needed him, ad Shizuko adores him."

"A shameless slut is still a shameless slut," Chiyoko said, her arms folded at this point.

"And this is where I make my exit." Kisa escaped the kitchen when he saw Shiori was losing her patience. He winced when he heard a resounding slap and Chiyoko shrieking in indignation.

"Mama, no violence!" were the last words Kisa heard before he shut the bedroom door.

Kisa sighed and laid down on the bed, listening to the sounds of Shiori and Chiyoko yelling and physically fighting. Ken and Yukina were both trying to stop them, but it didn't sound like it was working.

It wasn't that Kisa was upset about being called a shameless slut; he had been, and he'd admitted it to himself multiple times. It was the look of disappointment Ken had given him when he didn't recognize him, combined with Chiyoko's obvious provocation that was bothering him.

And when it came down to it, he was maybe a little tired of the slut label. He'd been in a committed relationship over half a year, and Ken hadn't been the first former one-night stand to pop up. They couldn't all be told he was off the market as soon as he and Yukina got together, after all, and a lot of them had let Kisa know they severly doubted he could keep a relationship going.

"What the hell do you know?" Shiori shrieked as the bedroom door opened.

"Mama, language!" Shizuko scolded. The toddler was pretty much being ignored by then, though.

Kisa didn't look up from the pillow he had his face bured in, but he knew it was his boyfriend. "Shouldn't you be out there stopping them?"

Yukina sighed and sat down, running a hand through Kisa's dark hair. "When I worked at that bookstore in college, I saw more than one, uh, catfight. As long as they're not causing damage, it's best to just let them fight until they're tired."

"They were fighting over you?" Kisa muttered into the pillow. He finally looked up when Yukina didn't answer. "I take that as a yes."

"Kisa-san, I was never interested in those girls." Yukina laid down beside his boyfriend and brought him into a hug, cuddling up behind him.

"I never said you were."

"You didn't need to." Yukina hugged Kisa to him tighter, jumping a little when Chiyoko and Shiori both shrieked at about the same time.

"Your brat bit me!" Chiyoko yelled.

"Well she bit me, too!" was Shiori's reply.

"No violence!" Shizuko screeched above them both.

"Ken, we're going."

Kisa stayed in there long enough to be sure they were gone before carefully sitting up. He was in time to see Shiori push open the bedroom door. Shizuko was pushing her mother forward via her knees, looking very stern. "Say you're sorry," Shizuko instructed.

Shiori sighed and moved around the bed so she could sit on Kisa's other side. "I'm sorry I ruined your Christmas Eve, Shouta. I am not, however, sorry I called that woman a bitch, pulled out a chunk of her hair, or that there is a temporary impression on her upper arm in the shape of Shizuko's teeth."

"She seriously bit you both?" Kisa asked as Yukina sat up.

"Yep," Shiori reached over and pulled her daughter up onto the bed with them. Shizuko still didn't look amused. "We had to defend your honor, Shouta."

"Ha, what honor? Now get out of my bed." He pushed Shiori away and she let go of Shizuko, rolling until she fell to the floor. "Besides, don't you have to get home?"

Shiori popped up over the edge of the bed. "Ah yes, of course. Gotta leave you two time to uh, catch up," she said, eying Shizuko like she was afraid her daughter was smart enough to understand that 'catch up' meant sex.

"Don't look at me, I'm going to make tea and assess the damage," Kisa said, scooting away from Yukina. He left the rest to just sit in the bedroom while he opened the door and looked out.

The damage wasn't severe. A chair was turned over, but nothing appeared broken. So, it seemed that most of the damage had been to Shiori and Chiyoko themselves. It was as Kisa was righting the chair that Yukina's parents came back in. Shizuko came running out of the bedroom, predictably yelling, "Shouta, candy!"

Yukina's father, who was a lot calmer than his wife, smiled and gave Shizuko a bag of gummies. Shizuko squealed and bit into the package to get it open.

"Oh dear lord," Shiori said as she emerged from the bedroom, rearranging her headband. Her messy hair was really the only immediate sign that she'd been in a fight. She didn't try to take the gummies from Shizuko, though, instead taking her daughter's free hand and directing her towards the genkan.

"We encountered Ken on the way back, and he's offered to let us stay tonight," Yukina's mother said as her younger son emerged. "We're sorry for putting you out like we have."

Kisa frowned. "You really weren't," he insisted.

"Ha, you should've heard her talking last night. She just doesn't want to hear you two going at it."

"Excuse me!" Yukina's mother said. "I never said anything close to that!"

"You didn't need to."

Shiori left, and Yukina's parents argued the entire time they packed their bags. When they finally headed to the genkan, Kisa said, "You know they're just as likely to have sex as us."

"Not tonight. Chiyoko looked _pissed_," Yukina's father said with a smirk. His wife hit him o the shoulder, and he just shrugged.

"Are you sure you want to leave, Mama?" Yukina asked, sounding genuinely distraught.

His mother smiled and hugged her son. "We'll stop by again before we go home. But we really would like to spend time with Ken." She smiled, the first real smile she'd shown since discovering that her son's partner was a man. "We'll see you then!"

"Have a good Christmas," Kisa offered as he closed the door behind them. He sighed and leaned against the door. "If members from either of our families want to stay with us again, please remind me to just say no."

Yukina didn't give a real answer, instead just moving forward and capturing Kisa's lips with his own. Kisa didn't need to ask to know what Yukina had in mind now that they were alone. "You were the one who said there was more to our relationship than sex."

"Maybe, but I still love the faces you make when you're completely lost in pleasure," Yukina whispered in his ear.

Kisa gulped, torn between wanting Yukina to just fuck him into the mattress (or the couch, or the floor) and what he'd been thinking about since Chiyoko and Shiori started their fight. He and Yukina went out to eat a lot, but it was usually rushed because of their job. They saw each other so much but they never really got to enjoy each other when it wasn't about getting off. So as Yukina brushed his lips against his neck, Kisa mustered up all the resolve he could and said, "Do you want to go out to the shopping district? It's still early enough for all the light displays to be on."

Yukina stopped at that and looked confused. When he saw Kisa was serious, though, a bright smile came over his face, and he nodded. "I'd love to, Kisa-san." He hugged Kisa to him.

"As a side note," Kisa said, keeping his eyes closed so he could just enjoy Yukina's embrace. "You're not… mad, that I slept with your brother before, are you?"

Yukina let go of him at that and turned to take his coat from the wrack beside them. Kisa wilted, getting the feeling that he shouldn't have brought it up at all. "I knew you had slept with a lot of guys, Kisa-san. It does seem weird to be so closely connected with one, though." He put his arm through his coat, and Kisa sighed in relief that he at least still wanted to go out. "Sometimes I wonder what you were thinking with those men, but… as Chiyoko said, you didn't even remember him."

"To be fair, I don't really remember much about graduation or the night before," Kisa mumbled. "I drank a lot that night. And I guess he did, too. Not that I ever needed alcohol to sleep with a guy." Kisa sighed and leaned against the door, looking tired.

"Kisa-san, have you ever considered going back to all that?" Yukina asked suddenly. Kisa raised his eyebrows in surprise, and he added, "I mean, we see each other so much. If it didn't work out, we'd still have to work together and…"

"You idiot," Kisa muttered. He reached out and pulled Yukina into a kiss, sweeter than the lusty one they'd shared earlier. "I couldn't get rid of you if I wanted to. And I definitely don't want to." And then he added, just for good measure, "And considering I don't even remember sleeping with your brother, he probably doesn't compare to you, anyway."

Yukina laughed at that.

"And he's married," Kisa added, as if that were relevant.

"That hasn't stopped you before, Kisa-san," Yukina reminded him.

Kisa cringed when he remembered that night before they got together, when they were going over storyboards. The wife of a guy Kisa had slept with got his phone number and had called to bitch him out, and Kisa had made it clear that he didn't care that the guy had been married. He didn't know that when he slept with the guy, though he hadn't said that if the guy approached him again, he wouldn't have gone for another round.

"I'm not going to cheat on you," Kisa muttered. When he saw that he had Yukina's attention, he added, "You're my first real relationship, Yukina. Before this, the closest I've ever had is guys I'd stay with for a week or two when I was mad at my parents in high school and college. But that _was_ just about the sex."

"So it isn't with us?" Yukina asked, but he had a smile on his face.

"Considering I waited so long to have sex with you, I'd say it would be stupid if it was," Kisa said.

By then Yukina had his coat and shoes on, and he smiled and took Kisa's hand. "I'm glad," he said as Kisa leaned down to put on his own shoes. "But that doesn't mean we're going to stop having sex, does it?"

"Hell no!" Kisa said. Yukina started laughing at that, and Kisa frowned and threw the man's scarf at him. "Just finish getting dressed before I change my mind."

Yukina smiled behind his scarf, the kind of smile that went right up to his eyes and caused his sparkly aura to be even brighter. Kisa winced away, but Yukina brought Kisa's chin up so they could kiss. After they parted, Yukina laid his forehead against Kisa's and said, "I love you, Kisa-san."

All the fight had left Kisa, and he let Yukina just wrap his arms around him in a tight hug. "You too," he mumbled, a soft blush coming to his cheeks. "It's… going to be awkward with your brother and his wife now, isn't it."

"I hardly see him anymore," Yukina confessed, letting go of Kisa so they could both step out. It was snowing lightly, and Yukina blinked up at it like he'd never seen snow before in his life. "…and after that display, I'm not sure either of us are welcome as long as Chiyoko is around."

"You're more afraid to face his bitchy wife than him?"

"Strange how that works out." Yukina laughed lightly. "I've gotten worse at dealing with women, I think."

Kisa ducked his head. "Sorry about that."

"How is it your fault, Kisa-san?" Yukina asked, blinking. "I love being an editor, but it leaves so little room for a social life most of the month. I haven't done more than talk on the phone to most of my friends in a long time."

"Ha, maybe you should mention that to Takano-san," Kisa said, looking around at the snow piled on the apartment buildings. Then he brought his eyes to the ground. "And your parents are going home before New Year's?"

"Yes, they're going home on the twenty-sixth. There's only so much of Tokyo they can stand, I suppose," Yukina said with another smile. Kisa didn't notice until then, but Yukina had taken his hand. He didn't bother pulling away.

"Maybe you can come with me to visit my parents, then," Kisa said. "I haven't been home for New Year's in a few years. And they won't believe you exist unless they see you for themselves."

"I'd like that," Yukina said easily.

Kisa took a deep breath, watching as it came out in puffs due to the low temperature. As they got closer to the shopping district, Kisa could see the lights and light displays, blinking and multi-colored against the dark. It was only about eight o'clock, so plenty of people were out and about, doing last minute shopping or perhaps out on dates as Kisa and Yukina essentially were. They were getting looks, but they were the same kind of looks Yukina often got from women when he was out in public.

It was kind of nice to be considered just another couple among all these people, people who didn't know who they were, or their history, combined or individual. Not that Kisa would ever admit_that_.


End file.
